New Applicator Makes Applying Chemicals Easier, More Precise December 2002

New Applicator Makes Applying Chemicals Easier, More Precise

Handling insecticides and other crop chemicals can be a messy, unpleasant chore. However, Agri-Inject Inc, Yuma, Colo, makes an applicator that can make pest treatments easier, and more precise.

Agri-Inject’s Direct Inject System (DIS) has only been available for about a year, after several years of test marketing. The system allows on-the-go, in-furrow treatments of liquid insecticides (such as Furadan 4F), herbicides, or fungicides at the desired rate, without mixing the chemical in your fertilizer tanks.

The system is mounted with brackets directly on a planter. Some producers have also attached the unit on a tractor’s three-point hitch, according to Arnold Page, a sales representative with Agri-Inject. Chemical product containers are attached and hooked into the DIS unit. The system includes a calibration tube for easy chemical calibration.

From the tractor cab, the driver controls the amount of liquid carrier in a separate tank that mixes and flows with the chemical product through “micro-tubes” attached to the planter, with delivery ends attached to the planter openers, trailing down the furrow just behind the seed tubes. The tubing system and pump size can be customized for different implements. On a cultivator, the chemical is placed near the plant for direct uptake, or attached to sweeps on tillage equipment for a broadcast effect. The flexible tubing system is customized for consistent liquid delivery across the width of an implement.

Flow rate is regulated by the diameter of the tubes, rather than by restriction of the nozzle openings. This results in no spray drift, and application rates can be changed easily and more precisely with a flick of the wrist, rather than having to adjust each nozzle individually.

List price for a DIS unit (available in 10, 20, or 30 gallon tanks) with micro-tube system ranges between $1,800 and $2,500. For more information on the system, contact Agri-Inject, 1-800-446-5328, email inject@plains.net, Internet www.agri-inject.com